Chestnut Log Middle School celebrated literacy and Read Across America week by hosting two esteemed New York Times bestselling authors for 6th and 7th grade students. Cartoonist and author/illustrator Maria Scrivan spoke to 7th grade students about her story process, favorite apps for digital illustration, and how she takes her personal experiences to shape stories for contemporary audiences. Through her 6 part graphic novel series of “Nat Enough” Scrivan expressed the urgency for authenticity and using your voice and art in the world. Art, regardless of the medium, is resilience. Scrivan also spoke about the importance of graphic novels in literature, “The biggest thing about graphic novels to me is the amount of depth they have, it's beyond just words on a page. Not only do we see the expressions of the main character, we see expressions of every other character in the background-body language, scene, mood, it elevates language.”
Principal Angela Holley expressed the need for students to connect with authentic voices, “CLMS was excited to have two best selling authors visit and speak to our students. They shared their stories and they inspired students to dream bigger and see the power of words. Their visit sparked excitement, creativity, and confidence in our students, reminding them that their own voices and ideas matter.”
Dhonielle Clayton, author of the 3 part The Conjuverse series, spoke to CLMS 6th graders about the advantage of imagination. As a multi genre author, Clayton suggests students remain flexible with their creativity. “I’m always on the hunt for magic and mischief”, says Clayton. Students participated in an interactive tour of the setting for Clayton’s first book of the series, “The Marvellers”, as well as explored her character development method with a “What do you choose” quiz. Clayton also shared with students the importance of reading books with diverse characters as a way to prepare them for an enriched life with strong communities.
CLMS Media Specialist, April Olorunfemi, saw the authors’ visits as an opportunity to cultivate literary introspection for students. “When an author takes the opportunity to share the process of their craft and to weave the storylines through the fabric of our lives, writing comes alive for readers. We are beyond grateful to both of our guests for igniting our students to complete both book series and possibly create their own stories.”
Participating students received an autographed copy of their respective author presenter’s latest book to add to their personal home library. The CLMS Media Center is also hosting an author spotlight Book Club and Beanstack challenge with each grade level for the book titles students were given.
